Help a new guy with a starting issue.

[BigGreenMonster]

Hello everyone. I'm new here, and this place has TON of useful info.

Here goes the problem. My girlfriend bought a 94 Explorer. Great deal for $800 we've used it for two years with out a single problem. Since we bought it, it has been running poor, but always kept going. When started it would almost die, and billow black smoke occasionally for a second. In the past week it's decided to stop running completely. It died in an intersection. I managed to get it home, but when I can get it to start it chugs and sputters until it dies.

I've tested the FPR, with help from the procedures I found on the forum. As I've heard that is a common problem that might cause these symptoms. I took off the air box, and found some oily residue, so I cleaned the MAF.

When the truck was chugging, I pulled the plug wires one by one, and noticed that when one was pulled the idle didn't change, leading me to believe that cylinder might be the problem. I pulled the plug, and changed it. With no fix, Getting to the injectors on this truck looks like a complete pain in the ass.

What I'm asking for is some help from the Old Timers and Gurus. I'm mechanically enclined enough to replace parts, but not enough to diagnose the problem.

 

[KobeJ05]

Hello everyone. I'm new here, and this place has TON of useful info.

Here goes the problem. My girlfriend bought a 94 Explorer. Great deal for $800 we've used it for two years with out a single problem. Since we bought it, it has been running poor, but always kept going. When started it would almost die, and billow black smoke occasionally for a second. In the past week it's decided to stop running completely. It died in an intersection. I managed to get it home, but when I can get it to start it chugs and sputters until it dies.

I've tested the FPR, with help from the procedures I found on the forum. As I've heard that is a common problem that might cause these symptoms. I took off the air box, and found some oily residue, so I cleaned the MAF.

When the truck was chugging, I pulled the plug wires one by one, and noticed that when one was pulled the idle didn't change, leading me to believe that cylinder might be the problem. I pulled the plug, and changed it. With no fix, Getting to the injectors on this truck looks like a complete pain in the ass.

What I'm asking for is some help from the Old Timers and Gurus. I'm mechanically enclined enough to replace parts, but not enough to diagnose the problem.

could be an o2 sensor

 

[BigGreenMonster]

^I don't believe the O2 sensor would prevent the truck from running, it should still run, but not run well if the sensor was bad. I don't know that for a fact, just a hunch.

 

[geoph1986]

For the cylinder that isn't firing, did you check to see if there was spark at the plug? If there's no spark, it could be a bad wire or coil pack.

 

[92exp4x4]

Try to get some codes out of it. There is a paperclip procedure on how to do this in the sticky section on the 91-94 forum page. You may want to do a compression test as well to determine your bad cyliders.

 

[marragtop]

Agree on the codes. There may be code stored even if the CEL is out.

 

[BigGreenMonster]

I tried to read the cel codes using the method found here. I tried it 6 times before i got frusterated, tore the dash apart only to find the Check engine light bulb was missing, and the previous owner fubared socket. I gave up, but I guess I could put a test light in there and read the flashes that way.

Like an idiot I forgot to check if there was spark on the plug I pulled. I'll be sure to try that in the morning.

I dread doing a comp check, as that means I need to pull the plugs on the passenger side, but if it comes to that than so be it.

Thanks for the helps guys, this place is really noob friendly.

 

[MrShorty]

I gave up, but I guess I could put a test light in there and read the flashes that way.

If you will look through BrooklynBays EEC-IV code list thread in the EEC-IV forum, he has a diagram that shows how to hook up a test light or analog voltmeter to the self-test connector to get the codes there.